Just Another Epic Love Poem by Parisa Akhbari (review)

Reviewed by: Just Another Epic Love Poem by Parisa Akhbari Natalie Berglind Akhbari, Parisa Just Another Epic Love Poem. Dial, 2024 [400p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780593530498 $19.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780593530511 $10.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R* Gr. 9-12 When Mitra, an Iranian American Muslim-Zoroastrian girl, began Catholic school in seventh grade (her father insisted it was the best school for her education), her only saving grace was Bea, a headstrong, funny classmate who wrote her a poem. Now, they're both entering her senior year, and the girls continue to write their never-ending, notebook-spanning poem—no final punctuation allowed. Mitra has held off pouring her longtime crush on Bea into her words, but when Mitra's feelings become harder to hide and Bea turns out to reciprocate, the two embark on a bumpy road of love, poetry, and the uncertainty that comes with impending adulthood. This is exactly the kind of rocky, imperfect love story that balances romance tropes with nuanced characterization, and readers can dig into this story knowing that both Mitra and Bea are fully realized teens struggling and hoping to redefine a long-held relationship. As the main narrator, Mitra tugs sympathetic strings even as she engages in self-sabotaging behavior in her personal life, while beautiful poems from Bea and Mitra are interspersed throughout, each in their own distinct voice. An achingly poignant combination of coming-of-age and young queer love between two teens of color, this book easily deserves a spot on the shelf alongside Lo's Last Night at the Telegraph Club (BCCB 12/20).